NEW DELHI – New Delhi officials have ordered a two-day halt to construction in an attempt to reduce choking pollution that has cloaked the city in smog and dust.

The government’s Central Pollution Control Board rated the city’s air quality Friday as “severe” – the worst possible category – for the fourth day in a row.

New Delhi’s level of PM2.5, tiny particulate matter that can dangerously clog lungs, exceeded 170 Friday morning, more than six times higher than the World Health Organization considers safe.

The order to halt construction, which was issued Thursday night, came amid days of winds that have carried dirt and dust across northern India, causing pollution to spike in numerous cities and forcing dozens of flight cancellations.

The New Delhi government has made scattered attempts in recent years to try to control worsening air pollution, including stricter emission norms for cars and a tax on diesel-fueled trucks entering the city. But experts say there is little that can be accomplished without concerted national efforts, and pollution has only gotten worse.

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In this Nov. 10, 2017 file photo, Indian commuters wait for transport amid a thick blanket of smog on the outskirts of New Delhi, India. The petroleum coke being burned in countless factories and plants is contributing to dangerously filthy air in India, which already has many of the world's most polluted cities. The World Health Organization survey named New Delhi as the world's most polluted big city. Other polluted megacities, with populations over 14 million, include Cairo; Dhaka, Bangladesh; Mumbai, India; and Beijing. ALTAF QADRI/AP

Motorists drive surrounded by smog in New Delhi, India on Nov. 8, 2017. A thick gray haze enveloped India's capital on Wednesday as air pollution hit hazardous levels. The Indian Medical Association said New Delhi was in the midst of a "public health emergency" and appealed to the city government to halt sports and other outdoor activities in schools. ALTAF QADRI/AP

Residential buildings are enveloped in a blanket of smog as a firecracker lights up on the outskirts of New Delhi, India on Nov. 11, 2017. Thick smog has constricted India's capital this week, smudging landmarks from view and leaving residents frustrated at the lack of meaningful action by authorities. The air was the worst it has been all year in New Delhi, with microscopic particles that can affect breathing and health spiking to 75 times the level considered safe by the World Health Organization. ALTAF QADRI/AP

An Indian man exercises as the Lodhi garden is engulfed in heavy smog during early morning in New Delhi, India on Nov. 8, 2017. People in the Indian capital city are struggling with heavily polluted air as air quality hit 'severe levels,' according to reports. RAJAT GUPTA/EPA-EFE

General view shows polluted weather in Cairo, Egypt on Jan. 16, 2013. Cairo has air pollution levels from 10 to 100 times higher than the World Health Organization standards. High vehicle fuel emissions, polluting urban industries, and a hot and dry desert climate are causing havoc to the occupants of this city. Cario was close behind Delhi as the second most polluted megacity. KHALIL HAMRA/AP

In this photograph taken on Jan. 19, 2016, Bangladeshi laborers work at a brick factory on the outskirts of Khulna some 266kms south of Dhaka. Very few of the brick kilns in Bangladesh, approximately 7,000, according to government estimates, have been constructed following proper design and environmental rules, according to experts. And the consequences have been devastating as brick kilns are the largest source of greenhouse gases in Bangladesh, so much so that the smoke spewed out by them has been identified as one of the main factors behind the worsening quality of air in the country. Dhaka, Bangladesh was named as the 3rd most polluted megacity by the World Health Organization. MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Morning smog envelops the skyline in Mumbai, India on Oct. 20, 2017. Environmental pollutants are killing at least 9 million people and costing the world $4.6 trillion a year, a toll exceeding that of wars, smoking, hunger or natural disasters. One out of every six premature deaths in the world in 2015, about 9 million, could be attributed to disease from toxic exposure, according to a major study released Thursday in The Lancet medical journal. Asia and Africa are the regions putting the most people at risk, the study found, while India tops the list of individual countries.Mumbai, India was named 4th worst polluted megacity. RAFIQ MAQBOOL/AP

People stand in a park amid heavy dust and smog Nov. 7, 2016 in Mumbai, India. People in India's capital city are struggling with heavily polluted air after low winds, holiday fireworks residue and crop-burning in neighboring states contribute to the haze, which has reduced visibility to 400 meters. The pollution levels have risen to 15 times more then the safe limit, news reports said. Thousands of schools have been ordered closed, cricket matches canceled and residents warned to stay inside. The US embassy has said that it is "very concerned" about the impact of the pollution on Americans living in Delhi and the public at large. ALLISON JOYCE/GETTY IMAGES

Smog hovers over a main road in Beijing, China on Nov. 17, 2016. Reports stated that Beijing authorities warned of harmful levels of air quality and issued an orange alert beginning November 17, the second-highest in a four-level warning system. Authorities projected that smog would persist for at least three days. China is taking serious strides to clean up its air, but Beijing was named 5th most polluted megacity by the World Health Organization. ROLEX DELA PENA/EPA